Glorious Goodwood: Day Three Review & Day Four Preview

There was some real spice overnight regarding the running of yesterday’s Sussex Stakes. The Qatar camp were claiming their runner Kameko was subject to dirty tactics from the Ballydoyle runners. For what it’s worth I think there was nothing wrong. Vatican City was found to be amiss after the run, he stopped and went screaming back through the field. Witchita, who rolled in under Frankie Dettori to deny Oisin Murphy a gap, was following the natural elbow of the track. The Ballydoyle trio were drawn four, five and six and they followed their line out of the stalls early in the piece. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you are operating within the rules, your are foolish not to attempt to gain a competitive advantage if you can. Group 1 victories aren’t meant to be easy!

The mercury hit 28°c and the track was good, with firm parts in places. It was a beautiful day and there was some beautiful racing:

Qatar Nassau Stakes (Group 1 Fillies & Mares, 1m 2f)

It was a fitting victory for Deep Impact in the Nassau, Photo: Racing Post

Having produced so many talented winners over the years, the Nassau this year assembled a field that more than did justice to this tradition.

It proved a poignant victory, as exactly a year to the day since the unfortunate passing of the Japanese stallion Deep Impact, his daughter Fancy Blue did him proud out on the Sussex Downs.

Frankie Dettori received a soft lead on Magic Wand (Galileo), who had been subject to a late plunge in becoming the favourite at the off.

Ryan Moore (who once again chose the correct Coolmore runner) sat outside the speed on the 3yo filly.

Breezing into it when they sat down to get serious, Fancy Blue was in for the fight. When Tom Marquand and One Voice (Poet’s Voice) came to her near the finish, it seemed to spur this filly on to the line.

Her path into this race made her very hard to beat. Two starts prior she had been an eye-catching third to Peaceful (Galileo) in the 1000 Guineas. Last time out she was the winner of the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks), in doing so beating Royal Ascot standout Alpine Star (Sea The Moon) and turning the tables on Peaceful.

It was another Group 1 victory for Coolmore, who continue to produce these high talented females. Like the sensational duo of Minding (Galileo) and Winter (Galileo) who went back to back for the operation in 2016 & 2017, this is another working her way into the same category. Remember we have also this year seen Love (Galileo), the Oaks winner and hugely talented filly.

Donnacha O’Brien. Photo: racenet

The trainer was O’Brien, but not the one we come to expect. It was his son Donnacha, who at just 22 years of age has produced a horse to win a French Classic and a Group 1 at Glorious Goodwood in just his first year of training. Like his Melbourne Cup winning trainer brother Joseph , prior to training he was a hugely successful jockey winning Group 1 races in The 2000 Guineas (Twice), The English Oaks, The Irish Derby, The Moyglare Stud Stakes (twice), The Cheveley Park Stakes, The Middle Park Stakes and The Vertem Futurity Trophy. What an outstanding horse racing family.

Now a three time winner from four starts, Fancy Blue is a half-sister to Listed winners Smugglers Cove (Galileo) and Casterton (Fastnet Rock). Her dam Chencikova (Sadlers Wells) is a full sister to High Chaparral.

Exampled to most prominence by Saxon Warrior, this is another example of Coolmore using the late Deep Impact as a sire. The aforementioned Nassau winning champion mare Minding has just produced her third filly to the stallion.

Fancy Blue was confirmed after the race to be heading on an Arc path, in what is shaping up as the race of a generation!

John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes (Group 3 3yo, 1m 4f)

You can never discount a regally bred colt owned by Coolmore, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore.

In what shaped as a Derby re-run of sorts, this was a very intriguing contest. Won by some great horses in years past, a well-hyped but very progressive type was successful here today.

Like the Derby, it was another 1m 4f 3yo affair that was strange to watch. Subjectivist (Teofilo) was the leader, who set a strong gallop and spaced them by 8-lengths at one point. It is a tactic employed by trainer Mark Johnston at Goodwood and it has served him served him very well in the past.

As they raced in single file along the side of the course, the well-fancied English King (Camelot) was near the rear and was not looking altogether comfortable in the running.

Mogul and Ryan Moore. Photo: Racing Post

Having spent most of his life trying to live up to his extremely talented brother Japan (Galileo), it was Mogul who put in a superb staying performance to claim success in this years edition of the Gordon.

When you purchase a yearling at the sales for £3.4million you place on them high expectations. He has by no means performed badly having recorded two wins from four starts as a 2yo, but he has not quite fulfilled the potential that Ballydoyle believe he has.

As I said yesterday, he came back as a 3yo at Royal Ascot and looked very short of a gallop. Last time in the Derby I really liked his run, some said he didn’t stay, but in reality when his stablemate and runaway winner Serpentine couldn’t be caught he was looked after in the closing stages.

Today he improved on that to put in his best performance to date, recording a victory against a very strong field.

As well as being a full brother to the high class dual Group 1 winning Japan, this son of Galileo is a full brother to Group 2 winner Secret Gesture and Group 3 winner Sir Isaac Newton. Her dam Shastye (Danehill) is a half sister to Arc winner Sagamix (Linamix).

The plans are not certain yet for this blue-blooded colt, but the St Leger looks a distinct possibility.

The run of Subjectivist really impressed me. Having led the race up, he was entitled to drop out in the run to the line like so many others have done at Goodwood. He stayed on brilliantly in a tough performance, eventually dropping to third in the shadow of the winning post. Like his stablemate Nayef Road who lead in the Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, I am not convinced that being the pacemaker is this horses best role. I think he’d be better settling in a position behind the speed and conserving energy, allowing him to show his finish. He has fashioned a very good record this season, finishing in and around horses who have gone on the frank the form.

English King just didn’t look comfortable today, it will be interesting to see how he pulls up. A horse I still have high hopes for, I hope he can train on to win races at the elite level.

Qatar Richmond Stakes (Group 2 2yo Colts & Geldings, 6f)

It was a perfect example of how to ride a 6f race at Goodwood in this 2yo affair, as Adam Kirby piloted the very impressive Supremacy (Mehmas) home to score by a comfortable 4 lengths.

Kirby is a one of those largely unheralded riders, but he is certainly in terrific form and at the top of his game. The horse leapt from the stalls to go straight to the lead, they were able to pause and button off, before producing a quick ending to the race.

There were so many parallels with this victory.

The sire Mehmas (Acclamation) from the same cross as the outstanding sprint-sire Dark Angel, was a victor in this race in 2016.

The same team of Kirby, trainer Clive Cox and owner John Goddard took this race out with Golden Horde (Lethal Force) last year and he has gone on to be a subsequent winner of the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup for the 3yo’s.

Clive Cox is a great trainer and has had 11 wins from 44 runners with the 2yo’s this season. He once trained brilliant gallopers Lethal Force and Harry Angel.

Bought for what looks an absolute bargain of £65,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Sale, the dam Triggers Broom (Arcano) is a half sister to dual Hong Kong Group 1 winner Xtension (Xaal) and to the dam of the outstanding sprinter Harry Angel (Dark Angel).

Connections were full of praise for this horse after this, having been a quick winner at Windsor on his start prior. He joins Battleground (War Front) and Tactical (Tornado) as among the most impressive 2yo’s of the season to date.

We have a speed machine on display on Day Four, here is a look at the Group features….

King George Qatar Stakes (Group 2, 5f)

The King George Stakes is a race for the speed merchants - a dash down the straight 5f course at Goodwood. The race was established in 1911 and has thrown up some top class sprinters over the years.

Lochsong (Song) gave jockey Frankie Dettori and trainer Ian Balding a double in the race in 1993 & 1994. She was a top class sprinter who achieved four successes at Group 1 level - in the Nunthorpe Stakes, The Kings Stand and two victories in Prix de l’Abbaye - as well as three at Group 2 and two at Group 3. She was the world’s champion racehorse in 1993.

Hever Golf Rose (Efisio) was a high class animal that campaigned all cross Europe winning seven races at Group level. She recorded victory in the 1995 edition of the race.

kingsgate Native (Mujadil) was a galloper that recorded a Group 1 success in the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot. Retired to stud in 2008, he proved infertile and returned to the racetrack to take this race out in 2009.

Borderlescott (Compton Place) was a specialist sprinter noted for his consistency and extreme durability. He raced 85 times on 25 different tracks in 12 seasons between 2004 and 2015. He won 14 races and was placed second or third on 30 occasions. After a slow start to his career in 2008 he emerged as a top-class sprinter, when his wins included the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes. He won the Nunthorpe again in 2009 and added his win here in the King George in 2010. He won the Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes in 2012 before being retired at the end of the year. He came out of retirement in 2013 and raced nineteen times without success before being retired again in 2015!

But the race has only one king and that is the speed machine that is Battaash (Dark Angel). He has won the last three running’s of this race and it is impossible to see him beaten this year to make it a four-peat!

Battaash, the speed machine. Photo: Racing Post

The 5f at Goodwood is basically all down hill, allowing thoroughbreds of his quality to free wheel like a super-car all the way down to the line. He consistently records sensational times and it is a real struggle finding anything in the country quick enough to lead him up, if there was he’d go even quicker!

He won the Nunthorpe last year in a blistering 55.90 seconds and on that day a horse lead him into the race. That horse was Ornate (Bahamian County) and he will take his place in the race tomorrow. He raced on Tuesday and was well beaten, but here’s hoping he can jump and lead so that we can see the track light up in full for the champion sprinter.

It is a case of buckling up, sitting back and watching some serious speed!

Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (Group 3 3yo, 1m)

The Thoroughbred Stakes gives an opportunity for Group success to the 3yo milers, generally those who fall just below the top line level in their 3yo season from top liners we saw yesterday for example in the Sussex Stakes.

The race has thrown up some good quality winners in the past.

Cape Cross. Photo: Bloodhorse

Most notably, the great Cape Cross (Green Desert) won this race in 1997 for Frankie Dettori and John Gosden. A dual Group 1 winner (including a Queen Anne at Royal Ascot) on the racetrack, he is more decorated for his brilliant career as a stallion. When you look at some of the horses he has produced, they are of the highest calibre - Ouija Board, One Master, Sea The Stars and Golden Horn. Of course one of his very best offspring was the great New Zealand mare Seachange. He sired 21 individual Group 1 winners before he passed away in 2017.

Now standing at Valachi Downs in New Zealand, Zacinto won this race in 2009 for trainer Sir Michael Stoute and jockey Ryan Moore.

The last three winners of this contest have gone on to fashion impressive records:

2017 - Beat The Bank (Paco Boy) - 8 wins from 17 starts, including three Group 2’s (back-to-back Summer Miles). Group 1 placed.

2018 - Regal Reality (Intello) - consistent Group performer (3rd to Enable in a Coral Eclispe) and a winner of two Group 2’s and £255,000.

2019 - Duke Of Hazzard (Lope De Vega) - 5 wins from 18 starts, including a Group 2 and Group 3. Finished four-lengths from the brilliant Sussex Stakes winner Mohaather at Ascot before running a two-length second to Space Blues in the Group 2 7f event here on Tuesday.

This year we have a five runner field. All have had little to no 2yo experience but have shown fantastic promise this season at three. All are very well bred, but there are two to highlight that have exceptional pedigrees.

The first is the red-hot favourite in Khaloosy (Dubawi) for trainer Roger Varian and that jockey / owner combination of Jim Crowley & Hamdan Al Maktoum. Breed by the owner, family includes Nathaniel, Irish Oaks Winner Great Heavens and Playful Act - who was purchased as a broodmare prospect by Darley at Keeneland for a world record price of US$10.5million.

Tilst (First Defence) races for Khalid Bin Abdullah and his Juddmonte operation. The dam Multilingual (Dansili) is a full sister to Group 3 winner Remote and a half-sister to the brilliant Kingman. The third dam Zenda (Zamindar) was a French 1000 Guineas winner and a half-sister to the brilliant racehorse and now sire Oasis Dream.

L'Ormarins Queen's Plate Glorious Stakes (Group 3 4yo+, 1m 4f)

The Glorious Stakes is always taken out by a tough stayer and gives the older brigade their opportunity to record Group success.

If we look back through some previous winners of this race, we find some real racetrack form and quality animals.

I highlighted him yesterday as being an outstanding galloper, Sixties Icon (Galileo) was successful in 2008.

Alkaseed (King Mambo) took the race out in 2004. He would go on the following year to win a Japan Cup in a then record time.

Mamool (In The Wings) scored in 2005 for Goldolphin. He was a dual Group 1 winner in Germany.

Purple Moon (Galileo) won the race in 2007. He amassed £1.2million in prizemoney across his career. So often the bridesmaid, most notably when he ran second to Efficient in the 2007 Melbourne Cup.

Redwood. Photo: Westbury Stud

The 2010 edition went to current Westbury Stud stallion Redwood (High Chaparral). Owned by Juddmonte throughout his racing career, he was right near the top of racetrack performers for his outstanding sire (8th on official ratings, above some real quality). The stallion raced 16 times at Group or Listed status in his 17 start career, winning on four occasions and placing a further seven times. When you consider he raced in a number of jurisdictions and always at a very high level , his race record is remarkably good. His biggest success was a Group 1 victory at Woodbine in Canada on his way to amassing £1.4million in prizemoney.

OTI Racing have shown a liking for horses to have won this race, subsequently purchasing 2011 winner Drunken Sailor (Tendulkar) and 2012 winner Quest For Peace (Galileo). Both were sent to Australia, continuing their careers with moderate success.

Poet’s Word (Poet’s Voice) was a horse of the highest calibre and he was successful in 2017. He would go on to record victory in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard and Group 1 victories in the Prince Of Wales Stakes and the King George IV & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Mirage Dancer (Frankel) won the race in 2018, he would finish runner up the year after before being taken to Australia to continue his career, again that has been with a moderate outcome.

This year, as you would expect, we have a field full of successful and seasoned campaigners. The seven runner field have 38 wins between them for total prize money exceeding £2.5million.

The favourite is Communique (Casamento), a dual Group 2 winner who brings some very good form into the race. He comes off two second placings in Group events and should go very close.

Last years winner Desert Encounter (Halling) will be defending his crown with vigour. This ever-green 8yo is a multiple stakes winning performer who has won over £1million in prize money. Like the aforementioned Redwood, his Group 1 success came at Woodbine in Canada.

Alounak, a 5yo entire by Camelot, is my selection in the race. His second to Fanny Logan (Sea The Stars) at Royal Ascot was very good. Not quite himself last time out, the former German and French trained galloper I believe has a promising profile.

In a very even field, it is always fantastic to watch these seasoned stayers battle it out.